How hard is the water in Berkeley, IL?

Tap water hardness
104mg/L
6.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Leyden TWSP Water District · May 2025

IL typical
139 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Berkeley carries roughly 104 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.1 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Leyden TWSP Water District, dated May 2025.

Berkeley on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Villa Park: 99 mg/LVilla Park 99Melrose Park: 103 mg/LMelrose Park 103Northlake: 104 mg/LNorthlake 104Bellwood: 104 mg/LBellwood 104Franklin Park: 104 mg/LFranklin Park 104River Grove: 104 mg/LRiver Grove 104Elmhurst: 110 mg/LElmhurst 110La Grange Park: 129 mg/LLa Grange Park 129River Forest: 135 mg/LRiver Forest 135Maywood: 229 mg/LMaywood 229Berkeley 104mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Villa Park: 99 mg/LVilla Park 99Melrose Park: 103 mg/LMelrose Pa. 103Northlake: 104 mg/LNorthlake 104Bellwood: 104 mg/LBellwood 104Elmhurst: 110 mg/LElmhurst 110Maywood: 229 mg/LMaywood 229104 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 104 mg/L, Berkeley is 35 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 99 mg/L in Villa Park to 229 in Maywood.

What 104 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Berkeley

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.1 gpg = 1,368 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Berkeley's water system

Berkeley · PWSID IL0310180

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 5,214 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists Berkeley as the system serving Berkeley. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Berkeley.

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Berkeley water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 104 mg/L (6.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Berkeley in grains per gallon?

About 6.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 104 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.1.

What size water softener do I need in Berkeley?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.1 gpg works out to about 1,368 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Berkeley water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Berkeley since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 192 cities in Illinois

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 13, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.